


Red Roots

by HideInMyShadow



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alien Cultural Differences, Alien Plant(s), Alien Plants, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Awkward Conversations, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), F/M, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Gen, Homesick Lance (Voltron), M/M, Possession, Slight Body Horror?, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Symbiotic Relationship, Team as Family, nothing too graphic atm, slight allurance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-08
Updated: 2018-01-26
Packaged: 2019-03-01 23:36:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13305729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HideInMyShadow/pseuds/HideInMyShadow
Summary: Lance had thought that things had been going pretty well for team voltron.Shiro was back and leading the fight, Lotor was supposedly on their side and under the careful watch of The Blade, Keith and Matt had been persuaded to stay with them in the castle- after a long and frustrating talk with the former Red paladin- and with so many to help there was no way this next adventure could fail. The mission was a simple in and out job, the research vessel had very little security and no prisoners, and with Pidge's hacking skills and a whole team equipped with her scanners they could get what they needed in no time.Easy-peasy as a slice of lemon cake and pie.He had forgotten that just because they defended the universe didn’t mean that it wasn’t out to get them at any moment.Or more specifically out to get Lance.---------------------------------------------------------------------------After a mishap during what should have been a simple mission on a Galra research vessel Lance has been acting strange.What starts as nothing but a sore neck soon grows into something that none of team voltron know how to handle.[Title likely to change.]





	1. The Silence of Growing Things

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place after S5 finale; Lotor has joined the allience but is staying under the careful watch of the BoM and Keith (after getting a talk to about his actions) is staying with team Voltron along with Matt, working as back up.
> 
> I intend to have a slow build to this so not much will be happening at fist- action or romance wise. Though the end game in this is Klance there will also be plenty of Allurance in there, I'm not putting it down as a relationship since I don't want to get anyone's hopes up and some other stuff that will be spoilers so I'll give heads up as I go. The relationship isn't the focus for the most of the first part of this story but it will happen so I need to tag it. Other tags will also be added later.  
> This is a bit of a self indulgent/de-stress story, mainly for my own enjoyment and a break from everything else, so I doubt this will get updated on a regular basis and could go on hiatus for a while, we'll see. Sci-fi's a pretty new genre for me so this will be interesting!

* * *

Lance had thought that things had been going pretty well for team voltron.

Shiro was back and leading the fight, Lotor was supposedly on their side and under the careful watch of The Blade, Keith and Matt had been persuaded to stay with them in the castle- after a long and frustrating talk with the former Red paladin- and with so many to help there was no way this next adventure could fail. The mission was a simple in and out job, the research vessel had very little security and no prisoners, and with Pidge's hacking skills and a whole team equipped with her scanners they could get what they needed in no time.  
Easy-peasy as a slice of lemon cake and pie.

He had forgotten that just because they defended the universe didn’t mean that it wasn’t out to get them at any moment.

Or more specifically out to get Lance.

Rolling ungracefully to the right the blue paladin barely escaped the heavy blade of the Galra commanders axe, it’s glowing edges smashing into the metal bellow leaving yet another harsh, charred dent in the ship. Lance winced at the sight, quickly backing up and firing a flurry of shots as he made to find an escape rout- a strong Galra with an axe was one thing but a well-tested Galra commander with a magic infused axe was just not fair!

“Guys! A little help would be great right now!”

“Hunk still has a few more tics till his coders downloaded the data and I’m on the other side of the ship with Allura- keep a distance until Keith and Shiro reach you.”

“Oh great plan Pidge- WOAH- never would have- AH-  thought of that!”

An irritatingly familiar huff crackled through his helmet.

“Stop whining and stay focused. We’re just entering your section now.”

“I would be focused if I wasn’t- QUIZNAK- wasn’t trying to keep my head on my shoulders!”

Just as he shouted at his most reckless team mate, Lance decided to secretly take a note from Keith’s book. Rushing towards his attacker he dropped to slide under the larger opponent’s legs, hurriedly shifting to sprint down the hall and around the corner, ducking into the first room he saw before he could consider it. He leaned back against the wall by the door, holding his Bayard close to his heart-beat-battered chest as he listened to the axe wielding Galra’s thunderous steps pass his hiding spot with a relieved sigh.

_‘No wonder there were so few guards- that guys terrifying!’_

Shaking off the thought with a quiet chuckle, Lance assessed his surroundings carefully. He seemed to have entered yet another storage room, the dim light emanating from several glass containers all holding various plants, each alien species as bizarre and new as the last with their own names, description and instructions printed up and pinned beside it, the strange text unreadable to the human. The gentle hum of machinery and air filters filled the silence of the room as he made a rushed scan of everything, wanting to kick himself when he realised he was trapped in a dead-end. With a heavy sigh the blue paladin returned to the door, leaning against it for a few moments to be sure that no one was outside before hitting the switch and-nothing.  
Lance’s eyebrows scrunched together in confusion as he looked down to where he had thought the switch to open the door would be, only to find nothing but cold metal wall. Quickly searching around the door revealed that there was in fact no switch at all. Glancing back at the array of foliage around him it slowly dawned on him that each container was carefully placed and covered in a number of locks and seals that had no chance of coming loose on their own. It shouldn’t be surprising that the Galra would be cautious enough of their research subjects as to lock them in a cell- plant or not, alien species shouldn’t be underestimated. And now here lance was trapped in a room with hundreds of possibly killer plants. His shoulders slumped.

“Great.”

Not wanting to risk drawing attention to himself Lance moved away from the door, crouching in a small space between three display cases, leaving him close enough to see anyone enter and make a break for it without being completely open to attack. Glaring at each of the plants close to him with suspicion he opened his coms again, ready for the inevitable embarrassment of his rash actions.

“Hey, any one near my location yet? I’m in a bit of a pickle here.”

Shiro’s even tones broke the silence. “Just a few more minutes and we’ll be with you, what’s the situation Lance?”

“Well, I managed to lose big, tall and angry but now I’m trapped in a cell for possibly killer plants with one door and no way to open it.”

“Pidge. Think you can get that door open?”

After a few moments of rustling and clicks the hacker replied.

“Negative. It’s bio-locked; seems like some of the species in their have the ability to mess with machinery. Fascinating, if we could grab a few specimens-” Keith cut her off quickly.

“No time, the ships already sending out a distress call we need to leave now! Me or Shiro should be able to open it right?”

“That should work, if not you should be able to damage it enough to allow Lance to escape.” Allura said calmly, Lance blushing a little as he realised how much trouble he’d caused the team.

“Alright. Hang tight Lance, we’ll get you out of there soon.”

“Thanks Shiro.”

Turning off communications Lance took the opportunity to breathe, giving the variety of plants around him a closer inspection. Many of them were nothing like he had ever seen, some looked closer to rocks or leathery beetles than the greenery found on Earth, however there were similarities; one plant had tufts of lavender-like leaves at it’s centre, a small cluster luminous pink shapes reminded him of bonsai trees, something wriggled much like an anemone but had grown up the side of it’s container like ivy, he was particularly interested in a species that seemed to be a cross between a Venus flytrap, a willow and a poppy.  
He couldn’t help the twinge of homesickness in his heart at the similarities, thinking back to his cousins’ collection of cacti and other strange plants that he never saw the appeal of but would let them ramble and show off each one as they were introduced to him like family pets. Lance promised himself he’d buy them a whole garden of exotic plants for them on the next visit to the space mall as a souvenir when they returned to Earth...if they ever returned.

Lance was about to smack himself for his negative thoughts when he heard movement outside the door.

Spinning on the spot he had just a moment to register the door opening before he was being launched across the room.

He really hoped Shiro and Keith got here soon.

...

Surprisingly despite the Galra’s enormous size they weren’t as strong as he had initially expected, which meant Lance could still duck and weave each attack and not fear puncturing a lung. Though that damn axe more than made up for the lack of bone breaking strength and being thrown around hadn’t helped him form any better plan of action. Unable to dodge the next swipe Lance attempted to block the blade with his riffle, the force of the swing lifting him from the ground and sending him flying backwards into a glass container, glass breaking and scattering around him as he flopped to the floor with a breathless groan.  
Winded, aching and stinging from a number of small nicks and cuts on his body, Lance felt himself begin to lose consciousness. The blurry form of the Galra commander was approaching, the panic of the inevitable attack making it impossible for Lance to catch his breathe. Without warning a sharp pain struck him from the back of his neck, the overwhelming feeling darkening his vision and making his head swim with nausea. The pain sliced and writhed, as if his skin was shifting over newly grown bones, a sensation that caused shivers through his body.

_‘What the heck was that?! What’s happening??’_

Amidst his confused daze he could hear a familiar battle cry and the hum of a charged limb, a rush of clanging metal and furious yelling echoing around the room as he tried to clear his mind. Without realising the memory of his tenth birthday flittered into his mind, challenging his sister to a tree climbing contest and the tearful results of said contest as his mother grumbled and rubbed cream into his bruises, telling him never to scare her like that again.  
Man she’d be furious if she saw him now.

“Lance? Lance!”

A rough shake brought him back to reality, where Keith was kneeling next to him, a pensive look in his eyes while Shiro anxiously looked back and forth between them and the door. Noticing Lance’s awareness Keith removed his hand carefully, eyes scanning his form with furrowed brows.

“Are you alright? Can you walk? That guy really did a number on you…”

Just as Lance was preparing a sharp, snarky comment, realisation stilled his tongue.  
He was…fine. Taking a moment to inspect his own limbs, moving each joint as he cracked his neck experimentally, he found that other than a few shallow cuts, some harsh bruising and a strange ache in the back of his head, nothing was wrong. Furrowing his brow and ignoring the worried looks from his team mates, Lance moved both hands to the back of his neck and head, gloved fingers carefully gliding over skin and through hair in search of any sign of damage. Once more there was nothing there, no swelling or damaged skin and his hands came away perfectly clean so there was no bleeding that he was too shocked to feel. Hadn’t something cut him there after he fell? He remembered a horrible pain shredding its way through him so suddenly he could barely breath, but considering the heavy blow it could have been lack of oxygen and panic messing with his head. Staring at his hands for a moment he shrugged, ignoring the stiffness of his shoulders, and threw a small surprised smile at the others.

“Yeah? Yeah, I’m fine. Just a bit winded and a few cuts, I’ll ache tomorrow but no worries. Let’s make like a tree and leaf.”

Keith seemed to relax a little his expression softening even as he gave an unimpressed huff and stood, offering Lance a hand up as he addressed Shiro who fondly shook his head at Lance’s joke.

“I’ll go with Lance in Red just in case.”

“I told you I’m fine-”

Shiro nodded at Keith.  
“It’s best to stay cautious; you seem in good shape for now but adrenaline can shield you from the worst of it. Coran will check you over once we’re back at the castle.”

Unable to argue with the older paladin Lance gave a nod before they headed out, taking a moment to glance back to the container he had crashed into. Other than broken glass, dirt, a few dark petals and turquoise leaves scattered about, there was no sign of any plant.

Lance left with an uneasy churn in his stomach, unconsciously rubbing the back of his neck.  
For a split second, he could have sworn he felt movement there.

* * *

 

Lance was rubbing his neck again.

“Keep both hands on the controls.”

The hand returned quickly, grip tighter than necessary.

“Ugh! It was just for a tic, cool your jets.”

Undaunted Keith stared down at the back of the pilot’s head silently, a slight frown on his lips as he watched Lance’s twitching fingers and the occasional twist in his neck. He shuffled uncomfortably.

“There’s no asteroids around here, we can speed up.”

“ _I know_ Keith.”

The cockpit was quiet for a moment.  
Lance rolled his shoulders and cricked his neck to the side, his expression remaining the same as the action seemed to so nothing to alleviate whatever was bothering him. Keith’s eyebrows furrowed a little, tilting his own neck to the side in sympathy.

“If you need a break I can-”

“For the umpteenth time, Keith! I can pilot Red just fine on my own, _I’m_ her pilot I know what I’m doing, so stop back-lion driving and let me concentrate!”

“It’s not- I just thought--”

“Well stop thinking, you're bad at it.”

A flare of frustration rushed through him for a moment, forcing him to grit his teeth and take a slow breath before continuing his conversation with the stubborn idiot in front of him. Patience yields focus and sometimes _a lot_ of patience was needed when dealing with Lance- especially when it concerned his well-being. Thinking of Shiro, Keith decided to use their leader to back up his argument.

“Shiro said to be careful of your injuries. You’ve been fidgeting since we set off, I can pilot while you rest up.”

“ _Keeeith_! Don’t bring space dad into this. We both know he worries too much anyway.”

“You’ve been rubbing or cracking your neck since we took off, so clearly he has a point.”

Lance turned to him with an exasperated glare, dropping his wondering hand back to the controls from it’s hovering position over his neck as if hoping that the action would go unnoticed. The two held eye contact for a few seconds, the pilot giving a short huff as he turned away.

“So my necks a little stiff? It’s nothing I haven’t handled before. Besides, if you fly us back I’ll end up with fractures.”

“My flying’s just fine. You shouldn’t push yourself.”

“You’re one to talk, Mr. Kamikaze.”

Keith felt himself bristle, a hint of guilt churning in his gut even as he spat at the other.

“Will you stop bringing that up! I promised everyone I wouldn’t do it again okay? What more do you want from me?!”

The Cuban boy shifted a little, eyes flickering over to Keith in a motion that was almost apologetic yet definitely not yielding, his voice much lighter in tone.

“Hey, _relax_. I’m not trying to bring anything up, just calling you out. I’m not the one who’s got a death wish, so you don’t have to nanny me all the time just because you’re a worrywart.”

“I’m not-”

“Red says you are. Now shut up and let me drive.”

Keith sent him a withered look in return but decided to drop it, clearly Lance could fly on his own just fine if he was willing to turn down a break just to spite him. Despite his weakened bond he could still feel the hum of Red’s humour through his veins, seems that the temperamental lion was taking Lance’s side this time.  
_‘Traitor. You’re a bad influence on each other.’_  
The lion seemed to smirk at his comment but said nothing in return.  
Looking out of Reds screen it seemed they were only a short way from the castle now, he decided he could give them the benefit of the doubt.

Crossing his arms and leaning against a wall Keith took a moment to give Lance another quick scan just to be sure; a few small bruises and cuts but nothing serious and no signs of bleeding or swelling as of yet, other than occasionally rubbing his neck and frowning the paladin wasn’t showing any other signs of pain nor anything that could be caused by a concussion. Despite all of this Keith couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off, possibly it was just the fact that everything had gone a bit too easy after the slight mishap and that always set him on edge afterwards, but he knew that wasn’t the case this time.  
He thought back to the room they had found Lance and the Galra in, how he’d jumped the commander after noticing the blue paladins dazed state. Many containers had been knocked over or cracked in the scuffle before but only the one Lance had hit had shattered suggesting that the landing had been pretty hard, it was likely only his armour and helmet that had saved him from the worst of it. Keith had some difficultly fighting the soldier himself, so he wasn’t surprised that Lance had been unable to handle them, the axe sparked menacingly with each swing and the weight behind each hit sent vibrations through his sword, luckily Shiro’s quick movements had allowed them to disarm their opponent and given them a quick victory soon after. Had he been a long-range fighter stuck in a situation where he couldn’t keep a distance he doubted he’d have managed to walk out of it.

They arrived back at the castle without any further issues, Hunk jogging over to check over his best friend, his worried flutter of questions answered by Lance in a calm reassuring if not tired voice as they made their way to the med bay. Still feeling somewhat out of place around the team after being amongst the blade for so long, Keith found himself hanging back from them only to receive a sharp nudge from his right. Pidge shot a look his way but said nothing as she continued to walk by his side, Shiro soon appearing on the other as he asked Lance a few of his own questions as Allura ran ahead to brief Coran. Keith bumped sides with the green paladin in return, grateful for the show of support even if he was slightly embarrassed that she had taken notice of his behaviour.  
He’d missed being together like this, having his friends there for company and support, even if they didn’t realise it Keith thrived from the bonds he shared with this small sort-of family he’d found. Though he did not regret his decision to join the Blade and the work they had accomplished the months of distance between him and the others made him wish that things could have gone a bit differently, knowing his actions had hurt his team mates more than he had intended. Now that Lotor was in an uneasy alliance with the Blade of Malmora, Kolivan had been more than open to Keith’s return to the castle of lions though his actions during their last battle and tendency to ignore orders out of rushed decisions may have also had something to do with it. Whatever the reason, Keith was just happy to be home again.

Coran and Matt where waiting for them when they arrived, supplies and equipment ready after Allura’s mission briefing. Noticing the lack of said princess Shiro questioned the older Altean about it.

"I encouraged her to get some well needed rest. You've all been working hard this past week, we don't want to run out of energy. I'll be making sure you're all asleep by curfew so no video games, no extra training, no midnight snacks and no night projects!"

He stared each one of them down carefully, being sure to linger on Keith and Pidge for emphasis. Lance took the opportunity to wrap his arm around Coran's shoulder, his smile too friendly to be innocent; clearly he'd been planning to have another go at beating the level boss he'd been complaining about recently.

“Coran my man! You got anything for bruises that doesn’t smell like last week’s socks?”

The exuberant man twitched his moustache as he gestured for Lance to sit down, Matt handing him a device that he waved around Lance’s head once the helmet was removed. After a few beeps and whirrs, Coran seemed satisfied with the results and moved around to examine Lances head himself.

“’Fraid not number three. Though you’re welcome to take a few tics in a healing pod once we’ve given you the once over. Initial scans show nothing serious but best to check before throwing caution to the whyvnids as they say.”

“I’d rather not thanks. Matt’s been teaching you new phrases, hasn’t he?”

“Keeping up with current sayings and the idioms of different cultures is part of my job!”

“It’s a work in progress. He picks them up quickly but always ends up slipping in some Altean thing into it.”

Keith blanked out the rest of the conversation, settling next to Hunk and handing his hacking device over to Pidge so she could download the data onto her laptop and inspect the information they had managed to steal. The three of them huddled together, pondering over the names and different levels of security around each research document as they waited for Lance to be given the all clear.

Hunk looked confused and a little weirded out from some of their findings, a single eyebrow raising.  
“Man, some of these projects look like something out of a bad sci-fi movie; ‘Uses and Precautions for Weaponised Kyalver Glue’? That’s something 80’s tv shows would have to deal with.”

“Anything on there that we should look out for in the future?”

Pidge shook her head at Keith’s query, adjusting her glasses.  
“From what I can tell most of these experiments were set up for failure and the successful ones are more to do with medicine or temporary power sources. They might be useful to look into ourselves but nothing that needs our full attention. I’ll have to decode and open a few of the more heavily guarded files before we know for sure.”

Eye’s sliding towards were Lance and Shiro were talking, both having small cuts seen to by the others Keith couldn’t help but slip another question in.

“What about all those weird plants? Any idea what that was about?”

Hunk shared a look with him, eyes conveying that he was on the same line of thinking as he connected the next device to Pidges laptop.

“Yeah, see if there’s anything on there about poisonous pollen or flowers that spit acid or something. From what Shiro told me that place had a lot of security for a green house.”

“Most pop up under the medical research- those ones are sealed up to prevent contamination or cross pollination- but there are a few that have toxic qualities and one or two…er, carnivorous tendencies but Lance would have been affected by those immediately. Where any of the containers broken?”

“Only the one Lance was thrown into, but there was nothing in it. The others were barely cracked.”

“Isn’t that really, really bad?!”

“Nah, wouldn’t be surprising. Their inventory suggests that some specimens had been moved or disposed of beforehand and they were making preparations for new species.”

“Maybe…”

The unease in his lungs lessened somewhat but the lingering worry still remained. Watching Coran and Matt at work Keith decided to trust their judgement and call it a day. Lance was right about one thing, he did worry too much about things and often ended up more wound up about it than was needed. Honestly they were all exhausted this past week and being so tired and prone to mistakes made them all a little jumpy, the last thing they needed was Keith’s habit of kicking up a fuss when his instincts were on high alert. A quick session on the training deck before bed should clear his head and force him to get some well needed rest, he could think things over in the morning when his mind wasn’t so mixed up. Leaving Pidge and Hunk to mutter over the potential of their findings, Keith wondered over to the others, biding them a quick farewell with a nod and a wave before making a quick exit.

He ignored the way Lance rubbed at his neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's that for now! Please tell me what you think- I mean I'm gonna keep writing this anyway but knowing how others see it is half the fun!  
> This story has some illustrations to go along with it but most are spoilers right now and depending on how things go tags and stuff will change.  
> I need a better summary for this story, once were a few chapters in feel free to give some suggestions, I need the help.
> 
> I'm enjoying this so far, I hope you did too- thanks for reading!


	2. Midsummer Nights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance has been feeling off for the past week but it’s probably just stress…right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, I suck at naming chapters!  
> I should mention that I will be changing POV's quite often in this story though Lance and Keith will be the most featured, I'm not sure I can do all the characters justice but I will try my best!

Sleeping was always a difficulty for Lance, his body filled with pent up energy and the overwhelming need to just do something making it a task to settle each night. His time in space hadn’t made sleeping any easier, despite how weary he felt the threat of attack or failure was hard to ignore. Music, a sleeping mask and Pidge’s ~~stolen~~ _borrowed_ headphones had become extra features to his skin care and relaxation routine, the combination guaranteeing at least a few good hours of beauty sleep. That was until now.

He rolled over again, a pitiful groan echoing through the silence of his room. Everything was so _uncomfortable_!  
Lying on his back was impossible; his shoulder blades seeming to stick out at unnatural angles and press harshly against the mattress’s usually comforting surface while his spine ached to twist around itself and his head throbbed. He’d already washed away his face mask, abandoned the headphones and taken plenty of water, along with the disgusting painkillers Coran had provided three days ago, in hopes of being able to find a position on his side that he could dose off in while the medicine chased away the headache but had no luck. At this point he was sure that he had replicated every yoga pose known to mankind in hopes of getting some sleep, but while one position alleviated the buzzing nerves around his neck it only enhanced the stretch of muscle around his chest that felt as if it was snagged on each of his ribs.  
As much as he hated it, Lance’s only hope of sleep was to lay face down with an assortment of blanket and pillows around him, ritually shifting everything and rolling on his side when he needed to breath more easily.  
Flicking his weary gaze over to a luminous ‘Time Measurall’ he’d been gifted a few planets back by some rather cute crocodile-like aliens, he couldn’t help the irritated growl that rumbled through him. He’d slept on and off for a maximum of three hours and he had breakfast and training in the next four. This new sleeping regimen was becoming a real pain, not to mention making training much more of a task than it usually was- if he wasn’t aware of how dumb it sounded he would say that his body had forgotten _how_ to sleep in the past week. And no sleep meant more time to think about everything he’d messed up due to lack of sleep…and Earth.

It was a subject he couldn’t escape lately.

Sitting up with an unsatisfying stretch and a habitual neck rub, his fingers pressing over the warm and oddly soft flesh, Lance decided two things.  
First, to go on a midnight stroll and stare at the stars until he felt better, and second, to finally step up and let Coran put him in a pod so his bruises would clear up completely.

It’s not that he was against using the healing pods when necessary, those things had saved his hide more times than he wanted to think about, but to clear up a few bruises it seemed a waste of time not to mention having to spend another hour after shaking out the remaining chills and heaviness that came with the process.

Stepping out quietly in his pyjamas and night gown Lance pondered a bit over the last few days. He’d admit that the ache in his neck had been affecting him somewhat, his usual energy and hype seeming to slow down a bit and lack of sleep hadn’t helped him much either, but it was more than that. Ever since the memory of his tenth birthday had flitted through his mind Lance couldn’t help more and more memories propping up through out the day, each one causing the desire for home to surge up and dampen any positive mood he’d been in. He’d been asked about it by the others the few times that it happened during the day, though easily able to shrug it of as feeling a little nostalgic most of the time he was beginning to suspect that he might need to have another impromptu feels session with Coran or Hunk. A shift in light caught his eye, the realisation that he had been walking catching him off guard as he took notice of his surroundings.

Lance’s feet had unconsciously brought him to one of the castles many observation decks, grand windows framing the beautiful expanse of space, the nearby solar system a fascinating sight to behold as fifteen planets of varying sizes and colours orbited a large sun, it’s surface blazing a warm red, the harshness of it’s light filtered through the expertly engineered glass as not to blind him instantly. A flurry of joy in his stomach at the sight made him smile even as yet another pang of longing entered his heart. Even if the circumstances weren’t the best, being able to witness areas of the universe that humans had never even known about was a thrill all of its own. Feeling more relaxed than he had all night, the paladin lazily made his way to the window to slouch down against the cool surface and idly count the moons dancing around the alien planets, basking in the glow of the sun.

This felt right, no more discomfort or desperate need to move, like taking a nap in his uncle’s hammock in summer. The image of swaying trees, soft clouds and the sparkling waters of the distant ocean came to mind, so distinct he could almost feel the cool air rustling his hair and hear the distant chatter of birds and people, all hidden in the shade of red and purple leaves.

Wait…

Red and…purple?

Lance eyelids felt weighted, body more lax and unwound than it had been in days as if finally fitting into itself, his thoughts becoming harder to grasp as a content feeling washed over him. Maybe this was all he needed? Just some quiet relaxation; no thinking, no worrying about tomorrow or busying himself with anything he could, just a moment to breathe, stare at the stars and dream of summer. The residual ache in his bones was all but gone, leaving him feeling light and drowsy, his head tilting into his shoulder.

_‘Guess I don’t need a healing pod after all…’_

With that last thought his whole body slumped over, sleep leaving him dead to the world, the suns rays glinting slightly off something peaking out from the collar of his shirt. Lance’s face creased with a small wince before returning to it’s slack sleeping state.

* * *

 

He was greeted with an unexpected challenge when he finally found Lance, one that he was not prepared to deal with so early in the morning.  
Hunk liked to think he knew his best friend well and right now Lance was acting…odd. And not his usual brand of odd.

Lips pouted and hands on hips he tilted his head to the side, a thoughtful hum accompanying his furrowed brows as he observed Lance’s unusual sleeping position, in that it was unusual simply because he was on the floor and not in bed.  
Back in the Garrison Hunk had seen his best friend work himself to exhaustion at times when he had felt challenged or just particularly spiteful towards someone (usually Keith or Iverson) but no matter how dead on his feet he got Hunk never had to move a sleeping Lance from some convenient surface to a bed- the guy just couldn’t sleep anywhere else even at his worst. But right now, it was a task that Hunk would have to do and the pressure of not messing it up weighed heavily on him.

As much as he wanted to lift his friend and put him on something made for sleeping he’d likely have to settle for finding an extra blanket and cushion instead, the likelihood of waking the other was just too high.

Quietly moving back into the hall, Hunk decided to wait until he was out of range before contacting Pidge. Pulling out one of his and Pidge’s prototype walkie-talkie-screen communicators he typed in the call command, waiting for a moment before a small holographic screen hovered over his hand, the image blurring but not enough to mask his small friend’s wild hair and circular specs.

“You find the slacker?”

Despite himself Hunk smiled at the insult, mentally apologising to Lance as he did.

“Yeah, I found him, but can you tell Shiro that we’ll need to reschedule some of those drills? I think Lance needs a break- we all need a break. Seriously, I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t being fired at by something.”

Pidges initial annoyance gave way to curious concern.

“Is everything alright?”

“I found him sleeping.”

Her face was blank with the exemption of an unimpressed eyebrow.  
“…Yeah?”

Hunk gave her his most serious look in return to drive his point home.  
“He’s sleeping. On the floor. In observation deck five. Not in a bedroom. Or a bed.”

“Oh? Oh. Facemask or no facemask?”

“None.”

An understanding if a little confused frown quirked her lips. After they shared a moment of thoughtful silence she nodded.

“I’ll tell Shiro. I could do with the opportunity to decode a few more of those research papers anyway. There should be a storage cupboard just a few meters after the first left.”

The yellow paladin smiled softly, already making his way towards it.

“Thanks Pidge.”

After gathering the fleece-like material and the enviably soft cushions from the back of the storage cupboard it was only a few minutes until he was sat next to his friends bundled up body, carefully sliding the pillow under his head. Lance stirred a little but remained asleep, chilled hands curling around the fabric unconsciously. Leaning one hand against the floor and tilting back Hunk observed the room, taking in the scenery and Lances dozing form thoughtfully.

He knew that Lance’s energy levels had been pretty low after being thrown around by a Galra on their last mission, and after seeing the bruises it caused he couldn’t blame him. The past few days he’d had to snap Lance out of his daydreaming a few times before his friend would respond, the lithe boy stopping in the middle of conversations to stretch and bend his neck occasionally, he hadn’t given it much thought until the dark circles had started forming under those blue eyes. Lance didn’t run well on little sleep and after Hunk had pulled the issue out of him and badgered him into accepting medicine from Coran he’d hoped that things might get better. Hunk had been sure to cook up a few particularly delicious meals as well, knowing the low mood was making Lance miss Earth’s comforts more than ever.  
Looking at it now it could be said that _this_ was better; likely a result of his bestie finally giving in and taking the gross pills.  
Though he was relieved to see the other getting some much-needed z’s, the fact that it was here and not in bed didn’t settle well with him for some reason. If there was one thing Hunk trusted by bow it was his gut feelings, but he couldn’t figure out why he was getting bad vibes from something so unimportant.

The blue paladin shuffled in his bundle, one arm swinging out while the boy grumbled something unintelligible before settling again. Hunk patted his friends shoulder with a sigh, deciding to question Lance a little after making him a quick brunch, hoping that the twist in his gut was nothing but need to see his best friend happy.

Something glimmered at the corner of his eye, but when he looked over Lance’s shoulder there was nothing. Shrugging it off as a weird lighting effect from the system they were slowly passing, Hunk gathered his own comfortable bundle and made himself comfortable.

Maybe Lance wouldn’t make a fuss about being caught sleeping on the floor if they both did it?

* * *

 

“Keith!”

Hearing the call Keith halted and turned back, letting Matt jog over to him with a quizzical look. Matt grinned pleasantly, pose relaxed and unhurried.

“If your off to training you’ll be disappointed to hear it’s been cancelled. Shiro’s orders are to take some time to cool off and regroup tomorrow.”

“What’s brought this on?”

“Lance dozed off on the floor somewhere, so Hunk asked for a break.” Matt chuckled.

A twitch in his fingers at the news was the only sign of the slight unease that hovered at the back of his mind before being swiftly covered by crossed his arms and an acknowledging nod, the disappointment of missing a chance to train causing a small pout on his lips.

“Right…”

He had noticed that Lance’s reflexes and concentration had been off during their last few training sessions but hadn’t known how to broach the subject without getting on Lance’s nerves- he knew better than anyone that the guy didn’t take criticism well, even when it was out of concern. Thinking about it maybe it had just been lack of sleep slowing the blue paladin down rather than the something that had refused to let him relax all week.

Matt opened his mouth, looking as if he was trying to work something out before deciding against it, continuing with a gentler smile and a shrug.

“I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about, and a breather will do us some good. Fancy a quick spar with me before I meet up with Katie? Maybe we can swap weapons and make it interesting?”

Keith met his eyes with a smile of his own.  
“Sure.”

Just as he was about to follow a familiar purr rumbled through his thoughts. Keith blinked, mind wandering out to Black and Red only to find nothing but his own sense of…wrongness. Once he was done with Matt maybe he’d go hang out with Hunk and Lance to settle his nerves. He really hoped he was just over reacting.

* * *

 

The moment Lance woke up he was whining about how gross sleeping on the floor was, spending most of dinner whining and swearing to never let it happen again. As much as it irritated them all to hear it, the team felt a great wave of relief for his return of energy. They all shared knowing glances as the noisy paladin made a show of whipping imaginary dirt off his clothes before tucking in to their meal.

Lance cracked his neck with a wince, his fork idly playing with his food.

Hunk was later surprised to find left overs as he was cleaning the kitchen, thinking that he should really stop over cooking when stressed he placed it in a cooling unit for later.

Everything was as it should be.

* * *

 

Pidge observed the victory dance of her chosen fighter as she once again stole a win from her opponent. Usually the view of her name shining in first place would be coupled with a satisfied smirk and much gloating on her part while tuning out the whine of sore losers, but right now there was little satisfaction to be found in her win. Lance wasn’t even paying enough attention to realise she’d won.

The blue paladin stared blankly at his controller, a small tight frown across his lips, he seemed to be deep in thought about something. She watched him for a minute, letting the gears in his head spin a little longer before poking his ribs. With a shrill yelp Lance tumbled over, hands guarding his torso as he glared daggers and Pidge, her small smirk and quirked eyebrow narrowing his gaze. She shrugged playfully but her smile soon shifted to a more concerned one.

“You’ve been staring at the controller as if it’s a dead puppy for the past ten minutes. What’s up?”

Noticing the shift in tone Lance sat up, eyes flicking to the side with a heavy shrug.

“Just, y’know, thinking about stuff…Earth…home…how everyone’s doing…”

Feeling a rush of empathy Pidge looked down at her own controller, a small piece of Earth they’d managed to get their hands on in the middle of all this madness. She’d found Matt and the thrill of knowing he was alive still made her dizzy sometimes, enough to overshadow the fact that her father was yet to be found and her mother was back on Earth, alone, mourning the loss of her husband and son with little to no idea where her daughter had run off to.

“We’ve been gone a long time huh?”

“About a year and a half give-or-take.”

“I’m not sure about your math but that sounds…likely.”

Lance gave her a friendly shove, putting the controller down and lying back with his arms crossed behind his head, keeping his head pulled up from the floor to look at her.

“Do you think anyone will believe us if we tell them we’ve been fighting purple aliens in giant robot lions all this time?”

Pidge snorted, the thought of how ridiculous her story would sound to her mother never having crossed her mind until this moment.

“’Hey mom! Sorry I was gone so long, I had to fight in a galactic space war against evil furries with a bunch of power rangers- oh and Matt’s was part of a space rebellion. What’s for lunch?’ Yeah, not crazy at all. We’ll be the talk of online conspiracy theorists everywhere.”

Lance grinned up at her, a fond excitement taking over the sadness in his eyes. Pidge didn’t bother to smother the pride she felt for lifting her friend’s mood. She moved to her knees, turning away and crawling over to their small collection of games.

“So what made you start thinking about all this now? I thought you organised our ‘midnight battles’ to forget about it, or at least _pretend_ we weren’t really in space.”

Pidge cringed a little at herself, thinking that maybe she should have changed subjects instead, but her curiosity and bluntness always got ahead of her. Luckily Lance didn’t sound put out by it, his voice no longer heavy with thoughts of what they left behind. If there was one thing Lance did well it was bounce back.

“Yeah, I don’t get it either. I’ve been thinking about Earth a lot lately, I thought our gaming war would do the trick as usual but… Guess there hasn’t been much else to think about.”

“You probably just need some more sleep. Fatigue brings up some bad feelings.”

“Pfft sure, I’ll sleep when you sleep.”

“I never sleep.”

“So that’s why you’re so cranky.”

“I’m not cranky, I’m sarcastic.”

“Then why should I listen to you?”

“Because I’m the smart one.”

“You won’t be for long if you’re awake three days in a row.”

“You can’t stop me.”

“I’ll tell Shiro.”

“Then he’ll send you to bed too.”

“I’ll tell Matt.”

“I’ll sleep in an hour.”

“Then we have a deal.”

She shook her head, trying to force a pout. Who knew she’d end up friends with someone almost as endearingly annoying as her brother. Picking out a few options from the pile, she listed them off to Lance, lifting each box so it could be seen over her shoulder.

“Sooo, what do you want to try next? Deadly Drivers? Night of the Walkers? Battle for Planet-”

_“…Earth…”_

The word sent her off kilter, not expecting to be interrupted, but it was the tone of Lance’s voice that made her freeze up. A dryness in her throat somehow made it hard for her to turn around, her senses honed by battle flashing warning signals through her system to remain still. Pidge tried to think over what she’d heard that had caused such a feeling of unease.  
That voice had been quiet in a way she never knew Lance could be, so much so that she might have just imagined it; the inflection and weight each letter sounded out as if having never been pronounced before, like noise filtered through a person rather than a real voice, low and lacking feeling usually laced in human speech patterns. Despite herself, Pidge had the fleeting thought that she should run.  
  
She shook of the silly chill in her spine and looked over to Lance.

“What did you say?”

Lance blinked at her, looking around the room and then tilting his head with a soft crack.

“ _Me?_ ”

“Who else?!”

“I didn’t say anything.”

Pidge’s eyes narrowed at the boy, the quickened heart beat in her chest fulling her irritation. Lance remained blank faced and quizzical, eyes showing nothing but confusion. Her brows furrowed as she pointed at him, feeling the need to emphasise her point. No matter how odd it sounded that had been _Lance’s_ voice.

“You said something. I heard it.”

“Uh, no I didn’t and no you didn’t? I was still thinking through my options, then you suddenly stopped and decided to start talking to air.”

The two stared each other down, Pidge with a sceptical glare and Lance with a curious frown that was slowly morphing into discomfort.

“…Are you sure?” Pidge said quietly, her certainty wavering.

“Pidge, stop it. I only just convinced myself that the castle wasn’t haunted, don’t start talking about weird voices!” Lance shivered, shoulders tense and head moving back and forth around the room, throwing hopeful but annoyed glances her way.

Pidge threw her hands up in the air, picking out a game herself.  
“Ugh never mind! It was probably the game or something. Let’s just start this one before my hours up.”

 

As they continued playing Pidge was glad to see the slump in Lances shoulder disappear, letting herself lose once in a while just to keep his mood up. Though she couldn’t help noticing it was harder than usual to lose on purpose, her opponents reaction time between each attack noticeably slower than usual forcing her to add accidental jumps or turns so the other would hit. Maybe Lance really did need more sleep?  
The moment she entered her room she was passed out in the bed, all thought of that weird voice forgotten in the depths of oblivion.

* * *

Four days later Shiro found Lance sleeping in the control room, form half bent over his chair and no recollection of falling asleep there.

Once again, a feeling of apprehension lingered in the castle. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! I've actually done a second chapter!  
> Sorry nothing much is happening just yet but as it says in the tags I intend for this to be a slow building story and I want to go with the flow of it rather than chase the conclusion. These earlier chapters may be updated later with illustrations- most of the finished ones are for much later but I'd like to include some visuals here and there.  
> At the moment I think each chapter will be around 3-4 thousand words each, it seems like a good amount that won't cause me much stress and will keep the wait between each chapter minimal.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter and thanks so much for reading!  
> Any thoughts, questions or pointers are most welcome.


	3. My Spine is the Bassline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro decides that Lance should make use of the healing pods...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's a little longer than I planned but I couldn't find a place to end it any sooner.  
> If you are curious about the chapter title I recommend you listen to shreikback's song of the same name- the lyrics don't have much to do with the story but it's a good song and the name felt fitting....though I suppose it's meaning will be clearer much later on.  
> (Also to any wondering; I am writing Shiro as Shiro, not Kuron, my chosen plot doesn't need him to be a clone to work and it would just over complicate things.)

Shiro was decidedly sure that whatever was going on with Lance needed to be dealt with as soon as possible. He’d been ignoring Lance’s lowered performance the past few days, not wanting to embarrass him or push him out of his comfort zone and consumed with the task of planning a way to defeat the Garla empire, but had been unable to shake the idea that there was something about the blue paladin that made him nervous. After finding Lance asleep in the control room the other day he’d decided it was time to have a talk only to find him sleeping by one of the airlocks…now if he could get his teammates attention maybe they could get somewhere.

“Lance.”

Said paladin jumped and spun to face him, finally acknowledging Shiro’s presence after being called for the fifth time. Lance had been half awake for about an hour since, Shiro could only guess that his lack of attention meant the boy hadn’t got much sleep before he arrived so had held back his questions at first. However, after so much time he was beginning to wonder if Lance was sick, the boy having been stuck in a daze for so long. The tired, half-focused gaze of the blue paladin sent a shiver through him.  
Shiro frowned, the sensation both troubling and confusing but was sure to keep himself composed, watching Lance carefully with a soft, friendly expression.  
He’d only force answers out of him if need-be.

“Are you alright? You’ve been acting off lately.” Shiro continued, barely holding back the worry in his tone.

Lance looked away, one arm rising to rub at his neck as he gave a half-hearted shrug, his slight smile and coloured cheeks giving away how flustered the others concern had made him.

“Yeah, I’m good just… y’know, having some trouble sleeping.”

Shiro nodded but tilted his head forward, waiting for Lance to continue or elaborate; he found that often silent questions got more answers, or at least asking _Keith_ questions usually ended in clipped answers. He knew there had to be more to Lance’s behaviour than lack of sleep but he needed to hear it from him to be of any help.  
Noticing his posture and unwavering look Lance sighed, waving a hand loosely in the air as he spoke.

“My neck, back and shoulders have been aching a lot lately- getting thrown around by angry aliens does that to a guy but it’s…weird! And I keep getting headaches, so Coran gave me some medicine that’s been helping but sleep’s been, well, not great. I only ever seem to get any after walking around for a while…”

Lips pressing together to avoid frowning Shiro glanced to the others neck taking further notice of the bruising he could see just above the shirt collar. They had faded and healing well from what he could see but he knew too well that appearances can be deceiving and not all pains were physical. He didn’t want to think that their fumble on a mission could have caused Lance- or any of the team- some lasting injuries or chronic issues. Shiro made a note to add weekly health check-ups to the team’s schedule after this, seeming to become more aware of how the weight of his prosthetic limb pulled at his joints and muscles in ways that his other did not. He focused back on Lance.

“Do you mind if I take a closer look? I’m no professional but I’ve… seen a lot of injuries, I know how they usually heal.” He grimaced a little at himself; the thought of his hazy year as a prisoner of Zarcon wasn’t the most pleasant- especially after his _second_ confusing imprisonment- but Shiro was reluctantly aware that it had given him some experiences that had come in handy during missions. He could only hope that his fuzzy memories of pains past could be of some help now as well.

Blue eyes stared at Shiro blankly for a moment.

Lance’s neck cracked, paused.

Thinking that he had possibly blanked out for a moment Shiro was about to repeat himself when the blue paladin blinked a few times, nodded, and turned around whilst adjusting his pyjama top to show more of his back without complaint before Shiro could even think about Lance’s strange response.  
He had to hold back a hiss once he had full view of the injury; just imagining it on his own skin made him want to roll his shoulders. Light brown was skin smudged with a pattern of purple, blue and fading red slowly blending into softer shades over areas that were almost healed, all of which stretched across his shoulders. The majority of the bruising centred where Lance’s spine met his neck, trailing down to reach between his shoulder blades. Shiro had seen the injury when it first appeared and knew the bruising would get worse before it got better, though he thought that the colouring should have lightened a lot more by now and he could see areas of skin that had become swollen as well.  
Carefully reaching over with his human hand, Shiro gently prodded at it, sending a quick apology to Lance as he did. Taking note of the softer areas that radiated heat and the difference in texture, he studied the battered skin more critically, while avoiding the few healing cuts here and there.  
It looked bad but not dangerous, much like any other bruise and yet…

And yet something about it just wasn’t right.

Shiro removed his hand and crossed his arms thoughtfully.

“There’s some swelling that’s probably causing you problems, but I’d feel a lot better if we put you in a healing pod, just to be sure.”

Lance shuffled the shirt back in place, stretching his arms above his head with a quiet chorus of creaks and snaps to accompany each move. He gave Shiro a defeated look.

“Well, nothing else is working. I really didn’t want to deal with more pod chills…”

* * *

 

Allura had originally sought out Shiro to debate some possibilities for obtaining more outposts closer to key Galra controlled planets but all thoughts of war plans and leadership slipped away once she discovered him and Coran talking in low hushed tones, the healing pod before them containing Lance’s still form. The sight made her stomach clench, heart aching as she thought of the many other times she had to witness her paladins in such a state, this time coupled with the growing worry she’d felt over the red paladin’s strange behaviour. Though her duty as princess and commander made her unable to spend as much time amongst her team mates as she would like, what little time she had made it clear that something was different about Lance and the others had taken notice as well. It did not help her anxieties that the blue lion had been seemingly uneasy as of late, seeing said lion’s former human pilot, Allura had suspicions as to why that might be.  
  
Coran’s ear twitched and he turned to face her, drawing the leader of Voltron’s attention towards her.  
“Princess, is something the matter?”

“I was just looking for you- why is Lance in a healing pod? I wasn’t aware that anything had happened.”

“Allura, good. We could do with your input. I found Lance asleep in the control room this morning. He said he’s been having trouble sleeping and from what I saw of his injury I can see why, but I asked Coran to place Lance in a pod just to be sure we didn’t…miss something.”

Allura looked between her companions, her brows creasing at the implications of the quick glance the men shared.

“And what have you found?”

Coran was quick to answer, moving to the podium in the centre of the room and pulling up the data on the podium’s screen for her to see.  
“Other than the initial bruising, slight swelling and a few minor scratches, there are signs of sleep deprivation and a decrease in diet. A full scan of Lance’s body showed no other issues…”

The princess looked over Lance, frowning at the realisation that what should have been good news unsettled her more than she would have thought. From the way her companions were acting they seemed to be feeling much the same way.  
“Nothing else?”

“No. If anything he seems almost healthier!”

“And that’s the problem.”

Shiro looked pensive as he turned to the princess, arms crossed and eyes focused. Allura gave him a quizzical look but motioned for him to continue.

“From Lance’s description and behaviour, he should be very tense; his muscles should be tightened, energy levels low, there should be irritation, pain or swelling in other areas where he has had to adjust his movements along with signs of stress. The scans show no physical problems beyond what we already expected and though injured his body is responding as if there was nothing wrong, compared to his last scans there are even some subtle improvements… I don’t know if it’s the case for Alteans but for humans this shouldn’t be possible.”

“Out of all of us, though not the most often, Lance _has_ been in the pods the longest duration each time, it could be possible that his extended exposure is having an effect. We also can’t rule out the possibility that the equipment is in need of updating.” Coran piped up, clearly wanting to lighten the mood though his eyes still seemed wary.

“May I see the scans? I wish to confirm this for myself.”

Allura’s eyes followed every detail of the medical reports and scans, finding herself unable to find any clear indication that there was a problem, however…she couldn’t help but reread a few points and stare more closely at some of the scans. There was something she was missing, she could feel it, the realisation of what that was lurking and dancing around the edges of her mind as if to tease her yet completely out of reach. She leaned back with a sigh, unhappy that she was unable to wrap her head around this particular problem.

“There is certainly something unusual about Lance’s condition, though I’m afraid I cannot comprehend what. Perhaps we should ask Lance more about his condition once he is awake? He should give us insight that we won’t get from our scans.”

* * *

 

The pain was gone.

But it also…wasn’t?

No it was but there was something there, something… _other_.

He really wished he could just curl up on his family’s sofa…

Lance was barely conscious, the familiar chill and heaviness in his limbs making it easy to place himself despite having yet to open his eyes. He couldn’t say that his time in the pod hadn’t helped, however, already he knew that comfort was still out of reach. Dead weight arms were slung over two pairs of shoulders, dragging his dazed body to slump in a chair while he came to. All his movements felt slow, foggy, as if every part of him was tightly wrapped in cotton and having to push and pull harder to function. The muttering voices of Coran, Shiro and who he recognised to be Allura hummed around him, but Lance kept his eyes shut, stretching and resting his head in his hands to delay having to deal with whatever they had been able to find for a little longer. Though part of him knew he was mainly avoiding that conversation to adjust to the new feeling of his body.

There was no other way for Lance to comprehend the sensation other than ‘new’.

On the one hand he was back to his normal, un-aching self but on the other hand nothing about him was normal, every movement and sense tangled in senseless contradictions. His tongue moved light and heavily in his mouth, muscle memory echoed by a need to learn. As he moved his arms and legs he could map out and identify the methodical movement of muscle yet the underlying idea of movement through his bones and joints was pronounced in a way that seemed unnatural to Lance without being a subject of interest. Though he knew the bruising to be gone and the pressure on his neck loosened, the need to twist, pull, stretch and bend still lingered, as if he needed to brush off an unwanted touch. His mind felt crowded with double signals yet free to ignore them and their clashing meanings.  
To Lance it reminded him of one of the team’s first missions; how sensitive his hands had been after having to wear his suit and armour for three days straight, the peculiar awareness of himself once he could finally make skin contact with the world around him. He remembered sitting on his bed that night thinking of how warm his mother’s hugs were, the itch of dried salt and sand after a day at the beach and the wrestling matches he had with his siblings just a week before leaving for the Garrison.  
Once more homesickness seeped into Lance’s mind.

Man, he hated healing pods.

Coran placed a bowl of goo and a packet of juice in front of him just as Lance decided to open his eyes, takin the items from the Altean with a grateful nod. Lance took a few quick mouthfuls of the bland food before questioning the others, the motions of eating not coming to him as smoothly as he would have thought, almost choking as he forced himself to swallow, throat and tongue out of sync.

“So what’s the verdict? Am I good to go?” He pushed aside the food and drink, deciding to eat later once it felt more natural.

“Technically speaking, yes.”

Lance raised an eyebrow at Shiro,  
“…Technically?”

All three looked at each other and Allura stepped forward, a kind, pretty smile gracing her features that somehow managed to be polite and proper enough for her station but incapable of hiding the uncertainty in her eyes.

“We wanted to ask a few questions first- the healing pods are still unused to human biology, though there haven’t been any problems so far it’s best to be sure that they are doing their job correctly. Has the pain you were suffering subsided?”

He could feel a soft flush heating his cheeks at having the princesses’ unwavering attention on him but swallowed down the nervous flutter in his chest before he could think on it. Lifting a hand to his neck he prodded a few areas, moving his neck and shoulders experimentally. While he couldn’t say that he was comfortable it was clear that his time in the pod had paid off, he no longer felt the lingering pain that had haunted him the past week or so. Though the odd feeling still remained…  
Lance glanced at the faces around him noting how tense they were, clearly, they had been concerned for him and though he was reportedly fine they felt the need to be sure.  
He smiled a little at that, happy at their care for him while a little bashful that he had caused such worry. The need to keep the details of his bodies oddness was strong, almost defensive; they already had enough to deal with.

_‘I’ve already worried everyone enough, I don’t need to dump any weird not-feelings onto them if I don’t have to. Besides it’s probably just alien pod weirdness mixed with a lack of sleep. I’ll be fine tomorrow…’_

“Yeah. Pains gone completely, though my head aches a little but I’m still a bit tired, so I think I just need some rest.” Though not a lie Lance still winced internally when their shoulders relaxed a little, guilty for holding back the entire truth from them.

Coran though didn’t seem completely convinced.  
“Are you sure Lance, I’m no expert on your kind and while your readings weren’t bad I can’t help but be sceptical of the results.”

“It’s just pod-lag. I promise if anything pops up you’ll be the first to know Coran. What was it about my scans that made you think something was up?”

“It’s nothing really, just a few peculiarities…I’ll have to give them a look over to see if the readings were a little off but I’m concerned that our instruments may be having an effect- though not a negative one and very minute, it’s still something unpredictable enough that it needs to be noted.”

 _Peculiarities_ …That was one way to describe what he was feeling but Coran’s assurance that there was nothing clearly bad about it reassured Lance enough to brush it off.

“Well I don’t feel like anything’s _different_ and the pains gone so I’d say that’s a win.”

“That’s good to hear. Since you haven’t had much chance to relax for a while you’re excused from training tomorrow morning, some good rest should clear up that headache. If nothing else comes up you’ll be joining us for Voltron drills the day after.”

“Yes, sir!” He saluted with exaggerated seriousness, slipping the façade to send a wink to the princess.

Though Allura rolled her eyes he was pleased to see her lips quirk up at his actions.

The urge to twist his neck still lingered.

* * *

 

Keith was frustrated with Lance- true that was not an unusual emotion for him, however, the focus of said frustration was different. Slicing through another droid and dropping back he sent a look the blue paladins way, silently signalling for him to advance, but like the first three times Lance didn’t catch on until it was too late to follow forcing a change of tactics. This was the fifth time and it was really grating on his nerves.  
He had thought that Lance’s short stay in the med bay and an apparently fantastic few nights of sleep would have made training with him as interesting and useful as Keith had grown used to them being, their bond far closer than when they started. And though he could safely say that things were better, Lance was far too _slow_ , taking precious tics to act on orders and ques from the team. Granted, it was an improvement from his last session but didn’t meet up to what Keith knew Lance could do.  
Blasts of energy sailed over Keith as he slid to the side, lifting his shield to cover for any possible enemy fire before using the momentum to roll behind cover now that Lance was finally doing his job as a long-range fighter. Dark eyes took the opportunity to study the boy and those around them, a frown creasing his face as it became clear that no one else had noticed the Cuban boys absent mindedness other than him or had chosen to ignore it for today. Any other day he would gladly call out his friend and push him to do better, maybe even enjoy a competitive jest or two, yet he couldn’t bring himself to act out their unusual routine when Lance was being… un-Lance-like.

A droid fell beside him, it’s shoulder thoroughly blasted to pieces. Keith was certain it took three shots to that area before falling, something that could be easily avoided with a direct shot to the head or chest. While up to par, Lance wasn’t nearly as efficient as he should be.

Under Shiro’s orders the dark-haired teen leapt over his cover, rushing the nearest droid from the side and unleashing a violent torrent of slashes through it’s spine before kicking it into the second and slamming his blade into the chest of a third. Pidge raced by with a slash of electric green, Hunk using the moment to take the longer route forward and gain a better angle for attack, allowing Keith to ignore a few other targets and focus on keeping the green paladin from being crowded all while Alluras whip snatched those that tried to follow. The paladin armour had a limited range of movement compared to his Malmora suit but was far more natural to him, suiting his reckless actions better than the unprotective material manufactured for more subtle missions. Within moments they had reached the target and completed the training exercise.

Once the training sequence had been cancelled, helmets were removed, and praise was passed around happily. Keith shared a short smile with Shiro but kept an eye on Lance, who after a quick laugh with Pidge and Hunk stood staring to his left silently, following the others gaze Keith found nothing of interest and so returned his observations back only to find Lance’s expression unusually tense for the situation. Without thinking he found himself walking over and placing a hand on Lance’s shoulder, using the movement to jostle him slightly.

“You alright, Lance?”

Lance’s head snapped in his direction with a sharp creaking noise almost immediately stepping back, blue eyes wide, unblinking and filled with something Keith couldn’t place but chilled his skin like frost. They stared at one another in silence, Keith unable to work out just what could have caused such a reaction nor the weird look that his friendly rival gave him; blank, confused, wary and defensive with a hint of something lurking beneath, almost as if they had never met before.  
Noticing that his hand had remained hanging between them he let it drop, tilting his head with a furrowed brow as he tried to puzzle out the situation as he ignored the tight twist in his stomach.

“Er…Lance?”

In a blink the strange expression was gone, swept aside by a awkward smile and softer eyes, the change striking Keith in a way that he could not explain and hastily pushed aside as he realised the pensive lines from earlier had also returned though poorly hidden.

“Oh, hey Keith. Sorry buddy, spaced out for a sec. What did you say?” the tan boy lifted a hand to rub behind his head, a nervous flush colouring his cheeks making Keith raise a brow.

“I was…asking if you were alright?”

Keith could practically feel Lance’s defensive nature raising it’s stubborn head as those eyes narrowed and the hand dropped.  
“Yeah, fine, better than ever. Why are you asking?”

Not quite sure how best to address the problem he focussed on his first concern.  
“You kept hesitating.”

Lance only appeared more confused and defensive at the statement.  
“What are you talking about?”

Stumbling over the right words in his head Keith ended up cursing his lacking conversation skills.  
“Training. You didn’t respond as quick as usual, and just now you were glaring at a wall and acting jumpy. It’s weird.”

Lance glanced away clearly very irritated at the line of inquiry, yet his weak tone of voice made Keith wonder if Lance was unsure of the reason for his ire.  
“Need more sleep I guess, not all of us can be combat ready twenty-four-seven…”

“I know that, I was just curious-”

“It’s _nothing_.”

Before he could form his next sentence Allura called them over, wanting to rematch their training session and compare notes.

Shaking his head Lance’s shoulders dropped his eyes not leaving the alien royal.  
“Seriously, it’s just one of those days, let’s just leave it at that okay?”

Keith reluctantly nodded and almost rolled his eyes when Lance not-so-subtle hastened steps to join her but the guilty flicker that was sent in his direction gave him pause. Perhaps his anger hadn’t been part of his usual rivalry as he had first thought.  
He followed steadily at Allura’s other side and watched them chat lightly, unwilling to completely dismiss the disquiet that lingered after their odd interaction.

Despite Lance’s smiles and flirtatious winks, the undercurrent of agitation still lingered around him thick enough that the princess studied him once or twice with a fleeting unsettled look. And though that was enough to alert Keith that something was off, Lance’s quickly changing moods and usually light attitude making his muted display of indirect anger something noteworthy, it was his eyes that filled Keith’s thoughts.

For that one moment, he could have sworn that they were not the eyes of the blue paladin but a stranger.

A stranger whose presence made his fingers twitch for a weapon.

* * *

  
As they wondered over to the observation deck Lance couldn’t help but be impressed with the skills Keith had acquired with the blade, thinking that the missions and training had seriously had an effect.

He hadn’t seen or felt the guy at all until they were already face to face with Keith about to touch him. If he wasn’t so sure that he was being friendly-Keith Lance would have jumped out of his skin!

The thought allowed him to forget that the last minute of training had faded to a blur and the underlying need to rush off somewhere…though where he felt the need to go was much more frustrating than the restlessness itself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uuuuuuuugh, as much as I enjoyed writing this I'm likely not going to be able to update for a while and I am a little miffed that I couldn't spend a bit more time re-reading to see if it was to my liking.  
> First time writing Space Dad and Allura! I should mention that as much as I intend to use multiple POVs I doubt I will ever do one for Matt or Coran (sorry if they're your faves) I just don't have enough info on Matt to write him and Coran is really hard for some reason. Allura and Shiro were also a little hard to get right but I think their perception of events is really important.  
> [EXTRA- though there may not be any written updates, this particular chapter was meant to feature an illustration and that may be added in a few weeks!]  
> I hope you enjoyed this slightly longer chapter and are prepared for slow cooking creepiness ahead!


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